Printing gap adjusting device for printing machines



A 27, 1957 Y L. E. BROUGHAM 2,804,015

PRINTING GAP ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 19, 19554 Sheets-Sheet 1 lA/VE/VTOR I a Rafa ATTORNEYS Aug. 27, 1957 Filed July19, 1955 L. E. BROUGHAM PRINTING GAP ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR PRINTINGMACHINES 4 Shets-Sheet 2 6 3 J y 5P; 7

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PRINTING GAR ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed July 19, 19554 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEX PRINTING GAP ADJUSTIN G DEVICE FOR PRINTINGMACHINES Leslie Ernest Brougham, London, England, assignor to Dapag(1943) Limited, London, England, a British company Application July 19,1955, Serial No. 523,603 Claims priority, application Great Britain July22, 1954 6 Claims. (Cl. 101247) This invention relates to rotaryprinting and the like machines and more particularly, but notexclusively, to machines adapted to perform a repetition printing orsimilar operation upon perforated strip material to form, for example,sales tickets or labels.

In the Patent 2,694,974 of F. J. Briggs is described a rotary printingmachine in which a continuous strip of perforated ticketor label-formingmaterial can be printed upon to form, for example, a sales ticket orlabel wherein the perforated strip material is intermittently fed over afeed table to a printing couple comprising a driven printing member anda freely-rotatable but nondriven counter-pressure roller, the saidprinting member comprising a cylindrical segment whose surface isprovided with channels, for attachment thereto of readily replaceabletype, whereby for each rotation of the printing member a printedimpression is made upon the strip material. In such a machine thefeeding of the strip material is effected partly by frictional feedingmeans attached to the printing member and operative during printing, andpartly by positively acting feeding means comprising registering orrectifying claws which are reciprocated to pass underneath thepart-cylindrical printing member so as to engage with the perforationsof the strip material and to register each label or ticket accurately inthe printing position.

In such machines very accurate adjustment is required of the feed gapbetween the printing member and the counter-pressure roller in order toprovide for the accurate printing and feeding of perforated strip ofvarious thicknesses and various kinds of surfaces. In known machinesthis adjustment has usually been effected by moving the counter-pressureroller, in which case the adjustment device comprises an adjusting shaftmounted in eccentric relation to the shaft of the counter-pressureroller and means for adjusting the eccentric shaft and for clamping itin any desired position. With such a device, it will be understood thatthe counter-pressure roller is raised or lowered so as to project to agreater or less degree above a gap provided in the feed table.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved means foradjusting the feed gap between the printing couple, especially inmachines adapted for printing on continuous strip material.

In accordance with the present invention, in a printing or the likemachine adapted to operate upon copy material which is fed between aprinting couple comprising an upper printing member and a lowercounterpressure roller, adjustment of the gap between the two memberscomprising the printing couple is effected by mounting thecounter-pressure roller in hearings in a fixed base portion of themachine, and by mounting the printing member on a movable machine headabove the base and arranging the machine head to be bodily adjustablewith respect to the fixed base of the machine. The machine head will, ingeneral, be pivoted about an axis parallel to the printing couple.Preferably the pivoting axis is remote from the feed gap between theprinting 2,804,015 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 couple whilst an adjustingdevice for raising or lowering the machine head is arranged in the fixedbase of the machine at a point so chosen with respect to the printingaxis and the feeding couple as to assist in giving the required finedegree of control of the feed gap whilst giving adequate support to themachine head. By prope'rly choosing the length of the pivoting arm andthe type of adjustment the feed gap and the printing pressure may bevaried between any desired limits to obtain the correct adjustment forvarious thicknesses and types of paper surface.

In general an adjusting shaft arranged in the machine base isoperatively connected to the end of the machine head at a point remotefrom the pivoting axis by means of a lifting link, this operativeconnection. being such that the lifting motion of the link is very smallcompared with the angular motion of the adjusting shaft and also bears anon-linear relation to said angular motion.

A preferred form of adjusting device comprises a feed gap adjustingshaft journalled between back and front walls of the fixed base of themachine, and carrying a screw thread for traversing a nut carried in alifting link for the machine head. Above the adjusting shaft there isprovided a cross bar extending between back and front plates which formthe main supporting members of the machine head. The lifting link ispivotally con nected to the cross bar above referred to and its lowerend carries the adjusting nut.

An example of the construction according to the invention will now bedescribed in more detail as applied to a machine of the kind abovereferred to in which a continuous strip of perforated ticket material isfed from a supply roll to a printing couple and is there printed orover-printed to form a series of sales tickets or labels.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine of the type above referred toprovided with feed gap adjustment according to the invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line lI-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view.

Figs. 5 and 6 show an alternative adjusting means.

The general arrangement of the machine will first be described.

The framework of the machine comprises a box-like hollow base 1 the backand front walls of which house the plain journal bearings for the shaft2a of a counterpressure roller 2. Above the base is the machine headcomprising two vertical side plates 3 and 4 of substantiallysemi-cylindrical shape secured together by stay bolts 17, and whichsupport the bearings for the rotary printing head 5 and an inking roller6, which latter is eccentrically mounted, for adjustment with respect tothe printing head. The adjustment is provided by an adjusting knob 7 forrotating the bearing supports and a looking plate 8 for locking theadjusting knob in any desired position. The side plates 3 and 4 alsoenclose a cam driven mechanism for reciprocating a set of feed claws 9in timed relation with the rotation of the printing head so that theperforated strip PS drawn from a supply spool (not shown) is fed overthe feed table 10 of the machine in correct register with the printinghead. The cam mechanism comprises a cam 11 rigidly secured to the rotaryshaft 23 of the printing head and co-operating with a cam followerroller 12 carried at the end of a bar 13 which is slidably mounted in abox 14 and which is urged against the edge of the cam by a spring 24.The printing head 5 is keyed to the operating shaft 23, the front end ofwhich is tapped to receive a retaining screw 26 and the rear end ofwhich projects through the bearing plate 4 and carries a hand crank 27.The

cylindrical. surface of the printing head 5 is slotted pare allel to itsrotation axis to receive type retaining bars 21, between which aconvenient number, say up to at least 5, rows of removable type elements22, some of which are shown in Fig. 1, are held in position by means ofclips in'the known manner. The printing head is also fitted with afriction feed plate 25 for feeding the strip forward during.printingthrough a distance at least equal to the arc length of the typerows.

According to the invention the machine head is bodily movable withrespect to the base 1 and for this purpose the machine head is pivotedabout a pivot shaft 18 and the size of the feed gap is varied by anadjusting device indicated by the general reference 16, which alsoserves to support the machine head during printing.

The adjustment device comprises an adjusting shaft 26 journalled in theback and front walls of the base 1, and axially locked by a lockingcollar 27. The shaft is threaded at 28 over a portion of its length toreceive a nut 29 consisting of a tapped block which is connected by afreely pivoted link 30 to a lug 31 formed on a sleeve 32 surrounding astay rod 33 whose ends are spigoted into the plates 3 and 4.

One end of the adjusting shaft 26 is extended through the Wall of thefixed base of the machine and is formed with a knurled head 34 which isseparated by a narrow neck 35 from a flange 36 which lies flush againstthe outside wall of the machine casing or against a suitably formedboss. A clamping device for locking the adjusting shaft in any desiredposition is arranged adjacent the knurled head of the adjusting shaft.The clamping device comprises a thumb screw 37 having a knurled head 38and fitted in a tapped bore in the casing wall. Freely carried on theshank of the thumb screw and between a shoulder 39 thereof and the Wallof the casing is a clamping segment 40 comprising a plate having aconcave edge portion 41 of the same curvature as the neck of theadjusting shaft and lying against the flange 36 of shaft 26. By turningthe clamping screw the clamping segment is tightened against the fixedflange portion of the adjusting shaft whereby the adjusting shaft may besecurely held in any desired position. When it is desired to adjust thegap between the printing couple the clamping screw is slackened oif,thereby releasing the adjusting shaft, which is turned by its knurledhead, thereby raising or lowering the machine head about the pivotingaxis. The adjusting shaft is again clamped in the adjusted position bytightening the clamping screw. If desired a vernier type scalecalibrated in thousandths of an inch of paper thickness may be providedpartly on the flanged portion of the adjusting shaft and partly on afixed boss or the casing wall so as to indicate the size of the gapbetween the printing couple.

By arranging that the machine head carrying the printing member isbodily movable with respect to the fixed base in the manner abovedescribed adjustment of the feed gap and of the printing pressure may beeifected without disturbing the relative arrangement of the feed tableand the counter-pressure roller, and these parts may be fixed so as togive the smoothest possible passage to the copy material under allconditions.

In the example shown in the drawings the adjusting device for themachine head has been described as comprising a screw shaft and nutoperating a lifting link, this arrangement giving positive adjustmentand firm support for the printing head. It will be understood how everthat an equivalent mechanism can be fitted. For example as shown inFigs. and 6 the eccentric sheave 42 keyed to shaft 26 may work withinthe eye 44 of a lifting arm 43 to raise or lower the machine head.

In the operation of the machine, as the printing member is rotated thefriction feed plate 25, which is adjacent to and equal in length to theprinting surface presented by the type rows, frictionally engages themargin of the strip material and feeds the strip forward by a distancesubstantially equal to the segment of are conresponding to the printingsurface, and, after the ticket has been printed and fed as abovedescribed the registering claws 9 advance into the printing positionunderneath the printing head 5 and feed the strip forward by thenecessary distance to bring the next ticket into the printing position.During feeding and printing the strip PS is held flat on the feed tableby the brake 45 and laterally guided by the lay guides 46 and 47 whichare adjustable by adjusting means 45 and 49 respectively.

I claim:

1. In a printing machine adapted to operate upon perforated stripmaterial, a rotary printing couple comprising an upper rotary printingmember and a freely rotatable counter-pressure roller; a machine headcarrying bearings for the rotary printing member, means for rotating theprinting member and means for feeding the strip material in timedrelation with the rotation of the printing member; a machine basecarrying bearings for the counter-pressure roller, and means foradjusting the size of the printing gap between the printing member andthe counter-pressure roller comprising a'pivot for the machine head atthat end thereof remote from the axis of the counter-pressure roller andan adjusting device at the other end of the machine head supporting theweight of the machine head and the strip feeding means, said adjustingdevice comprising a rotatable adjusting shaft extending in the machinebase parallel to the printing couple, hearings in opposite walls of themachine base supporting the said adjusting shaft, a threaded portion onsaid adjusting shaft, a traversing nut running on the threaded portionof the shaft, a lug secured to a fixed portion of the machine headsubstantially in a vertical plane through the adjusting shaft, and alink pivotally connected to the traversing nut and to the said lug.

2. In a printing machine adapted to operate upon perforated stripmaterial, a machine head comprising side plates rigidly connectedtogether, a shaft journalled in said side plates, a printing membersecured to the said shaft, a crank at one end of said shaft for rotatingthe printing member and means for feeding the strip material in timedrelation with the rotation of the printing member; a machine basecarrying bearings for a freely rotatable counter-pressure roller, apivot shaft for the machine head at one end thereof remote from theprinting couple, said pivot shaft being parallel to the printing membershaft, and a printing gap adjusting device at the other end of themachine head sup porting the weight of the machine head and the stripfeeding means and connecting the machine head to the base, saidadjusting device comprising a rotatable adjusting shaft extending in themachine base parallel to the axis of theprinting member, a threadedportion on said adjusting shaft, a nut running upon the threaded portionand a lifting link connecting the said nut to the ma chine head.

3. In a printing machine adapted to operate upon perforated stripmaterial, a machine head comprising side plates rigidly connectedtogether carrying bearings, a shaft carried in said bearings and arotary printing member secured to the shaft, means for rotataing theprinting member and means for feeding the strip material in timedrelation with the rotation of the printing member; a machine basecarrying bearings for a freely rotatable counter-pressure roller, andmeans for adjusting the size of the printing gap between the printingmember and the counter-pressure roller, said adjusting means comprisinga pivot shaft for the machine head at one end thereof remote from theprinting couple, said pivot shaft being parallel to the printing membershaft, and an adjusting device at the other end of the machine headsupporting the weight of the machine head and of the strip feeding meansand connecting the machine head to the base, said adjusting devicecomprising a lead screw extending in the machine base parallel to theaxis of the printing member a traversing nut carried on the lead screwand a lifting link pivoted at one end to the nut and at tthe other endto a rigid part of the machine head.

4. In a printing machine adapted to operate upon perforated stripmaterial, a machine head comprising side plates rigidly connectedtogether, bearings in each of said side plates, a shaft carried in saidbearings, and a rotary printing member secured to said shaft, means forrotating the printing member and means for feeding the strip material intimed relation with the rotation of the printing member; a machine basecarrying bearings for a freely rotatable counter-pressure roller, apivot shaft for the machine head at one end thereof remote from theprinting couple, said pivot shaft being parallel to the printing membershaft, and a printing gap adjusting device at the other end of themachine head supportingthe weight of the machine head and of the stripfeeding means and connecting the machine head to the base, saidadjusting device comprising an adjusting lead screw shaft carried inbearings in the machine base, a traversing nut on said lead screw and alifting link connecting the nut to the machine head, the lifting motionof said link when transmitted to the machine head being normal to thelead screw axis and said link moving in a plane substantially parallelto the adjusting shaft during the lifting motion.

5. In a printing machine adapted to operate upon perforated stripmaterial a machine base carrying bearings, a freely rotatablecounter-pressure roller, carried in said bearings, a machine head havingside-plates rigidly connected together carrying journal bearings for adriven rotary printing member said printing member carried in saidjournal bearings and said counter-pressure roller together forming arotary printing couple,

said machine head also housing means for feeding the strip material intimed relation with the rotation of the printing member; said machinebase enclosing means for adjusting the size of the printing gap betweenthe printing member and the counter-pressure roller comprising a pivotshaft for pivotally connecting the machine head and the base at one endthereof remote from the printing couple, said pivot shaft being parallelto the printing member shaft, and an adjusting device at the other endof the machine head including an adjusting shaft in the machine base, alug member secured between the side plates of the machine head, saidadjusting shaft and the lug member being parallel to the pivot shaft, alink extending between the said lug member and the adjusting shaft andmeans carried on said adjusting shaft and connected to said link forimparting lifting motion to the link and the machine head having anon-uniform relation to angular movement of said adjusting shaft.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the adjusting shaft isprovided with a manually adjustable head which is locked in the adjustedposition by a locking member, said locking member comprising a clamp ingplate carried on a locking screw and engaging with a flange on theadjustable head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS710,380 Turck Sept. 30, 1902 1,857,166 Speicher May 10, 1932 1,975,891Aborn Oct. 9, 1934 2,598,414 Morse May 27, 1952

